A Different Surprise
by hakuchihirolover
Summary: Exactly what it sounds like on the box. Oh, and in my universe, there is no clause, there never was a clause and there never will be a clause.
1. Prologue

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AN: AGAIN, SHOULD PROBABLY NOT BE STARTING ANOTHER STORY, BUT HEY, IT'S MY LIFE.

RATING: PG-13

Another Surprise

Prologue

Giles and the others arrived at the library fairly quickly. They had decided that it would be best if they waited for Buffy there. Willow knew that Buffy would be heartbroken when Angel left, so they had decided to at least give the couple some last few moments of privacy before the souled vampire departed for parts unknown with the arm of the Judge in a box.

Nobody really knew how long the vampire would be gone on this mission. What this would do to Buffy would be truly unimaginable and Willow had not so secretly hoped that someone else would volunteer to take the mission, but she understood that Angel was the obvious choice for the task.

When they entered the empty, as usual, library, there was a message light blinking on the answering machine that Jenny had bullied Giles into purchasing, insisting that he had to stop living in the stone ages. The entire group gathered around the machine, making, Willow subconsciously realised, a rather silly picture, as Giles pressed the message button and an impersonal electronic voice declared,

"You have one new message, Message one."

There was the crackle of static and heavy background interference, but the voice recorded on the small machine was clearly that of the vampire Slayer. There was an element of slight sorrow of Buffy's voice, but not that of the magnitude that Willow would have expected after Angel's departure, and the joy and love was far more prominent as the Slayer spoke.

"I'm going to risk sounding terribly cliché by saying that by the time you hear this, I'll be long gone. I'll be on a ship to Australia with Angel, as well as our surprise guest arm in a box. Don't try and stop me, or blame Angel, as this is really not his idea, and he has just learnt how determined Summers women can be when they want to get their own way. His arm should be better soon. Anyway, this is what I want to do. I love Angel and I can't and won't be separate from him. We're going to get married somewhere in Europe, so we won't be back for a few months at least, so you'll need to get Kendra on Hellmouth duty, which she'll love. Anyway, with the Judge, Angel says that he knows this place in Tibet where the arm will be safe, failing that, we're just going to blow it up into lots of tiny little pieces. I'll write when I can and hopefully see you all in the fall."

There was a pause before Buffy continued talking,

"Could someone explain to my mum about the whole Slaying thing. She deserves to know why I'm gone. Okay, this is the hard bit. Wills, you're my best friend, the best friend I've ever had. Xander, I like you more than as just a friend and if things were different, I'd probably have gone out with you, but I love Angel, please, find someone else."

There was another pause and an audible sniff, then Buffy collected herself and continued,

"Oz, frankly, I don't know you that well, but if you hurt Willow, there is no power on earth that will stop me from killing you, after I've tortured you for a few months of course. Cordy, what can I say? You don't always have to work so hard to be the person they want you to be. Miss Calender, what I said to Oz, times ten, and I probably wouldn't kill you, that would mean I'd have to stop torturing you for hurting him."

The next pause was so long that it seemed for a moment that Buffy was finished with her goodbyes, then she spoke again, softer this time,

"Christ, Giles, I don't know what to say. You've been like a dad, Giles. I promise I'll be back. Be happy, all of you and I'll see you in the fall. Bye."

There was a crackle of static and then a loud electronic beep as the phone clicked onto the receiver. Stunned silence echoed in the library after the sounds of the answer-phone had faded into nothingness.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Willow Rosenburg sat curled up on her bed, a novel open on her lap. Her auburn hair was damp from the shower she had just taken and hung over her shoulders, resting on the pink terrycloth robe she wore and the white fluffy towel she had thrown over them. On her feet she wore a pair of rather endearing pink bunny slippers.

Willow went to turn on her lamp. There was a soft tap on the window on the window and she turned suddenly. She suspected it would be Kendra, calling by on her nightly patrol of Sunnydale's cemeteries.

It was a Slayer standing by the window. However, this figure was petite and slender, with pale skin and blonde hair twisted up into a french knot on her head.

This figure was heart-achingly familiar to Willow. Buffy smiled hopefully at her and waved to be let in. Willow practically ran to the window and smiled delightedly at Buffy as she unlocked it and pushed the glass up.

Buffy swung agilely through the flame and flopped down onto Willow's bed. Willow stared at her friend, unable to speak. Buffy had not grown much in height, though it had been over six months since Willow had seen her last.

She was wearing black leather pants and a crimson velvet top that hugged her curvaceous figure. In a way, Buffy seemed harder. As the Slayer, Willow had always subconsciously recognised that Buffy was strong, but now she saw that her friend was more than that. Buffy was whip-tense and constantly ready to fight, despite her languorous position. Something in her carriage reminded Willow of a picture she had seen of a Japanese katana, beautiful but deadly.

Willow was contemplating this when she heard Buffy's gasp. She followed her friend's gaze and blushed. Buffy was gazing at the pinboard above Willow's computer. On this board, was tacked every single letter and postcard Buffy had sent while she was travelling.

Willow had collected every single thing Buffy had sent and pinned them on the board. The result was a colourful and dramatic array that traced the long and intrepid journey that Buffy had made around the world. There were landmarks ranging from the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Willow flushed and stuttered,

"Well… I missed you… and it looked really nice up there… so I put it up there."

Buffy smiled and shrugged,

"I don't mind, I was just surprised that you kept everything. But I've got loads of stuff to give you all."

Willow blushed with pleasure and then spoke,

"Thanks Buffy, but we should go and tell the others that you're here. Everyone's missed you."

Buffy smiled,

"I've missed everyone too. But you have to tell me everything that's happened since Angel and I left on my birthday. Otherwise I'll make a dreadful fool out of myself."

Willow smiled and flopped down onto the bed next to her friend. Buffy smiled and spoke,

"So, Spill."

Willow took a breath and spoke,

"Who do you want to know about first?"

Buffy shrugged,

"I don't know, what's Xander up to at the moment?"

Willow smiled,

"You'll never guess. He's applying for the marines and dating Cordelia."

Buffy stared,

"No way, Xander and Cordelia Chase, that's just too weird."

Willow giggled and nodded,

"Yeah, it's scary. They fight just as much, but now their fights end up in closets."

Buffy stared,

"I still don't believe it. How's Oz?"

Willow shivered and giggled,

"Things with Oz are definitely of the good. There's a couples only night at the Bronze and we're going. The Dingoes might get signed to a label soon. Oh, and Oz is a werewolf."

Buffy shrugged,

"That's cool. We met this guy who told us a lot about how to control the transformations."

Willow squealed,

"Really? That'd be great. We're locking him in the library cage at the moment."

Buffy smiled,

"Okay, I'll see if we can help. Speaking of the library, how's Giles?"

Willow giggled,

"Oh, Giles. He's getting married to Miss Calendar."

Buffy gasped,

"Giles getting married, that's too weird. Is he going to wear tweed to the wedding?"

Willow laughed,

"Oh, no. He's wearing jeans and t-shirts now. Jenny is having a positive effect on him."

Buffy stared,

"No way. Giles not wearing tweed. Xander dating Cordelia. I have officially entered the twilight zone. What about you? You cutting class, wearing leather, dating jocks or something crazy like that?"

Willow laughed,

"No, I'm still perfectly respectable Willow. But Jenny's teaching me magick. She says that I'm getting better."

Buffy smiled and brushed her right hand through her long hair. The light of the electric bulbs shone on the narrow band of gold around Buffy's ring finger. Willow gasped slightly and stared at Buffy's hand.

On Buffy's right ring finger there were two elegant rings. The first was a fragile band of silver with a design of two hands clasping a crowned heart. The heart was pointing towards Buffy. The second ring was a slender and unadorned band of creamy gold.

Buffy saw the direction of Willow's gaze and smiled. She held out her right hand for the redhead's inspection. Willow stared at the two rings for a long time before she spoke,

"I can't believe that you and Angel are really married."

Buffy sighed happily,

"Neither could I at first. We got married in Notre-Dames, in Paris, at midnight. It was so amazing. I got this amazing dress from this fabulous boutique and Angel got me this fantastic parure of diamonds. Everything was candlelit, it was the best night of my life. I couldn't believe it when he asked me to marry him."

Willow sighed and asked,

"When did he ask you?"

Buffy smiled dreamily,

"We were down at the docks. Some of Spike's men had just tried to steal the box. I told him I would go with him to help protect the box. He gave me the claddagh ring before we were attacked. When I told him I was going with him and there was nothing he could do to stop me, he asked me."

Buffy paused and Willow thought that she had finished but the Slayer continued.

"He told me it was a custom among his people. That they exchanged rings before they married. It was a sign of engagement. The ring he gave me had been in his family for generations."

Buffy sniffed and then spoke again,

"He kissed me. He said he loved me. He said he had tried to stop loving me, that I deserved me. He tried to pull away, but I told him that I loved him so much that it hurt to be away from him. He said that I deserved somebody better. I told him that you can't choose who you fall in love with and that I would always love him. He asked me to marry him then. I said yes and that was how it happened."

Buffy paused and then continued talking.

"Then Angel went to arrange our cabins and I left my message at the library."

Willow sniffed as Buffy finished telling about how Angel had proposed. It was obvious that the only thing that matched the love Buffy had for Angel was the love that Angel felt for Buffy. Then she blushed and asked,

"So, have you?"

Buffy laughed and answered,

"Will, we've been travelling alone travelling alone together since my birthday and are no married. What do you think?"

Willow flushed,

"So what's it like?"

Buffy smiled,

"It's amazing. So you and Oz haven't?"

Willow felt her cheeks glowing,

"Oh no… we haven't done that."

Buffy smirked and danced her eyebrows mischievously.

"Do you want to?"

Willow could feel the heat radiating from her face as she answered.

"I'd like to, but I don't know if Oz wants to."

Buffy smiled,

"Do you love him?"

The question took Willow so much by surprise that she could merely nod dumbly. Buffy looked at her.

"Tell him. Tell him you love him and you're ready to take that step if he is."

Willow smiled, happy to have her best friend back, having someone to talk to about how she felt. Then Buffy spoke again, excitement in her voice,

"Come with me to the library. I want to go talk to that Watcher of mine."

Willow nodded and followed Buffy as the Slayer climbed out of the window and made her way to the library.

TBC.


End file.
